Railway crossing



June 24, 1930.

o. GETMAN 1,7 G,379

RAILWAY CROSSING Filed Aug. is, 1929 s SheesSheet 1 ATTORNEY June 24, 1930. o. 'GETMAN 1,766,379

RAILWAY CROSSING Filed Aug. 16, 1929 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 aw a Ora/1'4 4627774 ATTORNEY RAILWAY CROSS ING Filed Aug. 16, 1929 s Sheets-Sheet s ill :3

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I v [/3 mm l I i /Z I "a 1?. I g I l I 22 I I I I y w a? ,as A? /o f'V/Q 2777a 77 ATTORNEY Patented June 24, 1930 ra ses ORVIA GETMAN, OF CLEARWATEBJ, FLORIDA RAILWAY onossmc Application filed August 16, 1929. serial No. 386,291.

My present invention has reference to railway construction and is directed to a railway crossing.

My object is to simplify and improvethe existing art by producing a railway crossing in which the elements constitutingthe same are cast or molded in units so that all of such-elements will be similarly constructed and whereby should injury be inflicted to any one of the elements the samecan be easily replaced by a similar element. A still further and important object is the provision of a railway crossing in which the parts constituting the same are so constructed and associated that the device may be actuated with ease, certainty and with accuracy.

A still further object is the provision of a railway crossing constructed of similarly formed units, the corners ofthe crossing being widened and provided with openings forth'e reception of grooved discs, and the grooves of the said discs are designed to aline with the grooves in one pair of rails of the crossing and to close the grooves in the remaining pair of rails of the crossing, all of said discs designed to have their lower and square shanks received in squared openings in slotted arms or levers which in turn are. pivotally connected to cross arms, the latter at the crossed portions thereof being pivotally supported, together with throw means for said arms, which latter may be actuated in close proximity to the crossing or from a tower house and which, when operated are brought to contact with stops att-he corners of the crossing, so that the discs, when turned will have their grooves brought to positive alinement with the grooves in the rails of the crossing.

To :the attainment of the foregoing and many other objects which will present themselves the invention further consists in oer-- tain other novel features of construction, combination .and operative association of parts, one satisfactory embodiment of which is disclosed by the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: Figure l is a top plan view of a railway crossing in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a similar view-but showingthe device operated to bring the grooves of the discs in register with :the grooves of the transverse rails of the crossing.

Figure 3 is a sectional view approximately on the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure & is an enlarged sectional view on the line 4l-.43 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is .a bottom plan View of one of the discs.

Figure'6 is atop planview of an:aunili- 'ary disc which may be employed should injury be inflicted to the main discs :of :the crossing.

Figure 7 'is a sectional view approximately on the line 7-7 of Figure 1.

Figure 8'is a fragmentary plan view illustratinga slight modification.

The. crossing is, of course, made up of spaced pairs .of rails intersecting at right angles. For distinction I will refer to one pair of. such rails as the longitudinal rails and the remaining pair as transverse rails. All of the rails are similarly constructed and constitute four units, each, of course, comprising -members intersecting-.zat right angles. These members which constitute the=corners and parts of the sides and ends of the crossing :are each cast or formed in the same moldand each of thecornermembers comprises :a widened corner portion which is indicated by the numeral 1 and rail extensions 2 and 3 intersecting at right angles, aswell as short rail extensions t and 5 which are in a line with the rails Q'and 3. The trails *2, 3, 4 and are provided with alining :grooves, each being indicated by the numeral 6,-a-ndrthese grooves extend 'into the corners 1 of-the un-itsa Each corner 1 of the units is provided with a round opening that enters from its top and the openings are indicated for distinction by the numeral 7.- The openings do not extend entirely through the corners 1 but terminate in straight inner walls or shoulders 8. The corners from the walls 8, are bored or otherwise provided with other round openings 9 which, of course, are of a less area than the openings 7. The inner walls provided .by the openings 9 are indicated by the numerals 10 and the corners from the walls 10 to the outer or lower surfaces thereof are provided with reduced round openings 11. The corners in a line with the openings 7 have oppositely disposed grooves 12 which extend entirely through the said corners, the purpose of which will presently be apparent. There is received in each of the openings 7 a disc 13. Each disc fully fills the opening and rests on the lower wall or shoulders 8 thereof. Each disc has its outer face, slightly off its center, formed with a groove 14 and these grooves are designed to be brought to aline with the grooves 6 in either the longitudinal rails 15 or the transverse rails 16 of the crossing. Each disc on its under face is formed with a central reduced rounded extension or shank 17 that has on its outer face a squared projection 18, and the said projection is centrally formed with a pin extension 19 that is received in the reduced opening 11.

Each of the corners 1 on its inner face is formed with a pocket 20 which is disposed above the lower wall of the said corners. There is arranged in each of the pockets a short lever 21, the said lever having one of its ends resting on the shoulder 10, and its said end portion is provided with a square opening 22 that receives the squared portion 18 of the shank or stem 17 of the disc 13 therein. The outer end of each of the short levers 21 is pivotally connected, as at 23, to an arm 24:. Two arms 24L are employed, the same centrally crossing each other and being connected to the diagonally opposed levers 21 and by reference to the dotted lines in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings it will be seen that these arms, as well as the levers 21 will contact with the end walls provided by the pockets 20 when the said levers are swung upon their pivot 25 in a manner which will presently be set forth. This contacting engagement of the levers and arms with the said end walls provided by the pockets 20 limits the turning of the discs 13 so that the grooves 14 therein may be brought to positive alinement with the grooves 6 in either the longitudinal or transverse rails of the crossing.

The rails 2 and 3 of the respective units of the crossing have their ends in contacting engagement and the ends of these rail units are connected by fish plates or similar means 26. Of course, the fish plates are secured to the sides of the rails by the usual nuts and bolts.

The crossing is further reinforced by both longitudinally and transversely arranged spaced pairs of bars 27, the ends of which are'bolted or otherwise secured to the rails 2 and 3 of each of the units. In addition to this the spaced bars 27 support thereon a plate in the nature of a platform 28 through which the pivot member 25 passes; If desired, the plate or'platform may be integrally formed with the bars 27 or may be bolted or otherwise rigidly secured thereto. The bars 27 are in the nature of eye beams and as disclosed by Figure 3 of the drawings, are supported in the roadbed. The rails proper are connected by fish plates or the like to the short rail ends 4: and 5 at the corners of the crossing.

Two of the longitudinal beams or bars 27, adjacent to one of the transverse rails of the crossing have bolted or otherwise fixed thereon a strong plate 29, the same being centrally provided with a bearing 30. J ournaled in this bearing 30 there is a throw rod 31. The throw rod is also ournaled in other bearings. The throw rod may be directed to a tower house or any other suitable point at a distance away from the crossing and the outer end of the said pull rod has fixed thereon an operating lever 32. The inner end of the throw rod is formed with a disc head 33, the same having outwardly extending headed pins 34 thereon, the said pins being arranged in spaced relation. To these pins there are connected the inner eye portions of throw links 35, the outer ends of the said throw links being pivotally connected to the respective crossed arms 24.

As best disclosed by Figure 3 of the drawings the throw links from their eye ends 36 are oppositely arched, and the pivots 37 which connect the outer ends of the throw rods to the arms 24 are in the nature of headed pins, the heads of which are not normally in contact with the said links 35. Also it is to be noted that the pivots 23 that connect the arms to the short levers 21 pass through elongated slots 38 in the said levers 21.

It will be apparent that by swinging the lever 32 to the position disclosed by Figure 1 of the drawings the throw links 35 will draw upon the pivotally connected crossed arms 24 to turn the discs to bring the grooves 14; thereof in a linewith the grooves in the longitudinal rails of the crossing, the turning of the discs being as previously stated,limited by the contacting engagement of the slotted levers 21 and the arms 24L with the'end walls provided by the grooves or pockets 20. It will be further apparent that by turning the lever to the position disclosed by Figure 2 of the drawings the crossed arms will be spread so that the grooves 14 and the discs 13 will be brought into alinement with the grooves in the transverse rails 6 of the crossing and it will be still further apparent that the device is positive in its operation and will close the grooves in one pair of rails in the crossing when the grooves in the other pair of rails are in a line or in register with the grooves in the discs. It will be further apparent that a train can pass either of the ISO meetin tracks of the crossing Without either noise or undue friction between the Wheels of the said train and the rails of the crossing.

It will be still further apparent that the parts constituting the improvements are all similarly constructed and, therefore, interchangeable; that the said parts may be easily and quicklyas well as effectively associated. Should it be found desirable to remove any of the discs it is merely necessary that rods having hooked ends, such as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure l of the drawings be inserted in the grooves 12' and the hooks of said rods brought beneath the head of the disc which permits the disc being drawn out of the opening in the corner therefor. It will be-further apparent that a new disc may be inserted by simply dropping the same in the opening of the corner provided for said disc.

In instances where the discs 13 become broken or in instances Where the grooves in the rails of the crossing are to be in constant alinement a disc 38, such as disclosed by figure 6 of the drawings may be employed. The disc is similarly constructed to, the disc 13 but the outer face thereof is pro vided with transverse groves 39, each of which is designed to register with therespective grooves in the longitudinal and transverse rails of the crossing.

In Figure 8 I have illustrated a slight modification. The difference between this modification and the construction previously described resides in providing a longitudinally movable throw rod 40. This rod is movable through suitable bearings 41 and has fixed thereon a sleeve 42 to which are pivotally connected angle throw links 43, the said links having their outer ends pivotally secured, as at 14, to the pivotally connected crossed arms 45 which are similar to the crossed arms 24 and which, of course, have their ends pivotally'and slidably connected to the short levers which are associated with the squared ends of the shanks of the discs.v

The construction of my improvement and the advantages will, it is thought, be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art without further detailed description, it

being deemed merely necessary to add that I do not wish to be restricted to the precise details of construction herein set forth and, therefore, hold myself entitled to make such changes therefrom as fairly fall within the scope of what I claim. For instance the rails of the units constituting the improvement need not be arranged at right angles with respect to each other but may be disposed at other desired angles, for instance, an gles of forty-five degrees and other such like minor changes may, of course, be resorted to. l

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. A railway crossing formed of four units each comprising right angular-1y ex. tending grooved members, the :corners of each of 'the members being provided each with a round opening, whose lower wall affords arshoulder and which shoulder is provided with a centrally rounded opening that also merges into a shoulder, and the inner'en'ds of the saidcorners being slotted, means for connecting the confronting ends of the rails, a disc having its outer face grooved and designed to be dropped in each of the mentioned openings and to rest upon the upper shoulder therein, each of said discs having extensions to be received in the mentioned openings at the corners, and the lower extension having its upper portion squared, a' slotted lever having a squared opening to receive the square portion of the disc extensions therethrough and which lever rests upon the lower shoulder at the corners and projects through the slots at said corners, means bracing the rails of the crossing, a plate supported upon said means, cross arms pivoted to the plate and having a pivotal connection with the slots of the slotted grooves, and throw links pivotally secured to the arms, and a throw arm for operating the links to swing the arms toward or away from each other, the

arms being limited in such swinging of the contacting end wheels by the slots at the corners.

2. A railway crossing formed of four units each comprising right angularly extending grooved members, the corners of each of the members being provided each with a round opening, whose lower wall affords a shoulder and which shoulder is provided with acentrally rounded opening that also merges into a shoulder, and the inner ends ofthe said corners being slotted,

, means for connecting the confronting ends of the rails, a disc having its outer face grooved and designed to be dropped in each of the mentioned openings and to rest upon the upper shoulder therein, each of said discs having extensions to be received in the mentioned openings at the corners, and the lower extension having its upper portion squared, a slotted lever having a squared opening to receive the square portion of the disc extensions therethrough and which lever rests upon the lower shoulder at the corners and projects through the slots at said corners, means bracing the rails ofthe crossing, a plate supported upon said means,

cross arms pivoted to the plate and having a pivotal connection with the slots of the v slotted grooves, and throw links pivotally secured to the arms, and a throw arm for operating the links to swing the arms toward or away from each other, the arms being limited in such swinging of the contacting end wheels by the slots at the corners, said corners in aiinement with their openings having opposed vertically ar ranged grooves for the'reception of means for lifting the discs therefrom.

In testimony whereof I 'affix my signature.

ORVIA GETMAN. 

